My Favorite Nordic Trails

Written by Darlene Young

The Wood River Valley has over 160km of Nordic skiing terrain.  There is something for everyone!  The Blaine County Recreation District maintains these trails flawlessly.  Grooming status and pass information is available on their site:  https://www.bcrd.org/what-to-do-winter-trails.php

Just getting started?  I like to bring first time skiers to the Durrance Trail located at the Sawtooth National Recreation  Area, right below Durrance Peak,  just north of Ketchum.  The 7K Durrance loop is open for skiers, dogs and fat bikes.  And if one is short on time, one can ski half the loop.  The terrain is mostly flat, sunny and a great place to practice technique.   Park in the SNRA parking lot and jump right on the trail from there. 

The Harriman Trail is perfect for everyone.  This is where the renowned Boulder Mountain Tour takes place.  There are almost 20 miles of groomed trail between the SNRA and Galena Lodge.  I usually pick different sections along the way.  There are multiple parking options up and down the course.  And if one is feeling like going for a long cruise there is bus service to do a one way ski, preferably downhill!

For those needing a bit more of a challenge, the 8K Prairie Creek loop has some good elevation gain and boasts outstanding views from every direction.  I like to do it clockwise, then counterclockwise.  Or it becomes a good add on when skiing on the Harriman Trail. For more challenging terrain, Galena Lodge has over 50K of trail.  Don’t miss Psycho.  I’ve been known to take my skis off and walk down it in icy conditions 😊.